petrol dockets
Submitted: Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 17:07
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Member - kevin Y (SA)
Over a period of time
supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have been accused of over charging loyal customers who use discount vouchers to buy petrol.
Coles were taken to task recently for selling petrol as much as 14 cents a litre higher than the
Melbourne average.
The Australian competition and consumer commission fuel price snapshot found that Coles charged the
the highest fuel prices in four capital cities:
Melbourne,
Sydney,
Adelaide and
Brisbane. The ACCC
said buyers in the habit of using shopper dockets may not realize that other outlets are much cheaper-even after using their discount dockets.
We have have been monitoring recently and have found
Coles express to be the predominately price hiker,” Commissioner Pat Walker said.
Coles and Woolworths-Safeway entered the retail petrol market in 2003, and control 60 per cent of sales.
The ACCC commissioner said Coles and Woolworths were not doing any thing illegal, but urged motorists to
shop around to make sure they were getting the best value for money.
To me its only taken 5 years for them to get 60 per cent, will they have total control in another 5 and be able to still dictate the price legally, where are our independent service station gone ?
Reply By: Gone Bush (WA) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:05
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:05
Only a month ago Woolworths said that WA was its most profitable State for fuel sales, all because of Fuel Watch.
And today the oil companies have been accused of not passing on the full effect of the current drop in wholesale prices.
Let's have a National "Punch an Oil Executive" Day.
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Follow Up By: Steve - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:15
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:15
answer:
stop shopping at Coles
stop shopping at Woolies
we did nearly a year ago - our
supermarket average bill was around $260 and is now around $200 at Frankins - saving more than enough to cover fuel hikes and into the bargain are not hostage to shopper dockets that are not necessarily cheaper anyway
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Reply By: Steve - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:16
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:16
whoops...should've been a reply not follow-up
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Reply By: Member - barry F (NSW) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:24
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:24
You are right Kevin, five years to capture 60% of a market of that magnitude is pretty quick in my opinion.
Over here in NSW the small corner store is not exactly a thing of the past, but they are a fast dissapearing breed. Why? Supermarkets is the answer.
Talk to your friendly newsagent & he will tell you that Supermarkets are fast encroaching into what was once his product domain & there would be many other businesses that could say the same.
We are in some ways our own worst enemy by not supporting the independents because we are driven by making our dollar go further, which is fair enough I suppose. But I sometimes wonder what it will be like when the big fellahs capture 90% - 100% of ALL markets. Scary I reckon. Cheers
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Follow Up By: Member No 1- Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 08:00
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 08:00
so true
about us being our own worst enemy...cos they make it so easy and we are so lazy to go that extra yard to get to the independent
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Reply By: clv105 - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:25
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:25
You won't beat them so join them, buy wesfarmers or woolies shares.
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Follow Up By: Steve - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:34
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 18:34
not whilst you keep patronising them you won't
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Follow Up By: Member - barry F (NSW) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 19:01
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 19:01
Yep, you got that right. A national minority might be able to afford to purchase elsewhere, but in my opinion the majority of all Aussies will spend their disposable income where they can get the best value. How many of us
shop at Bunnings? A lot of younger people with
young families, loan repayments etc. realy are left with no other choice.
Maybe if we join them by buying shares, as you suggest, then the dividends would offset any increase in monopoly price increase. Just a thought.
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Follow Up By: clv105 - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 19:12
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 19:12
Steve I am not understanding you, I am not patronising them. This is unforutantly the world we live in now. They are too big too stop. So jump on the band wagon and buy a share of it.
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Follow Up By: Steve - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 20:42
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 20:42
Barry: it'll possibly offset it until they get virtual monopoly then you've no chance
clv: wasn't necessarily saying you were patronising them but many are. I take your point. Buy their shares by all means but you don't have to
shop there. I know that may sound contradictory as you'd get company discounts but our experience is that you're paying a third more for your groceries at Coles and even more at Woolies. They'd have to be bloody good dividends to beat that...and the petrol is still often dearer even with the coupon.
IGA and Franklins (I think) are both Aussie companies too)
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Reply By: Brew69(SA) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 20:15
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 20:15
It's pretty simple Kevin. Most of us will buy our groceries where we get them the cheapest. We then fill up where we get the cheapest fuel.
My experience with coles and woolies has been that they are consistently cheaper than my local BP and
Liberty stations and then if you get the extra 4 cents its even better. (excluding diesel)
This comment gets me"The ACCC
said buyers in the habit of using shopper dockets may not realize that other outlets are much cheaper-even after using their discount dockets."
Is he serious????
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Follow Up By: Max - Sydney - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 20:32
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 20:32
Only solution we can think of is look at the prices as we drive around our area and buy where the price to us (ie pump price with discount if it applies vs BP price etc) is lowest. BP often wins in our area (Epping - Eastwood in
Sydney)
As for the Supermarkets, Woolies seems to have gone out of its way to give business to small shops. We still get the dry goods & frozen stuff from them, but after some bad experiences we have found the cheapest green grocer in the district and the cheapest butcher. Have not been near these shops for years but are saving heaps now and getting acceptable quality.
Obviously we are retired and have time to hunt around but would sooner be able to get everything in the same place, including fuel. That worked for years but no longer.
Max
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Follow Up By: Scubaroo - Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 20:27
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 20:27
Funny - I live in
Melbourne and there's a Shell and a BP near my house - the BP is consistently 1-2c dearer than Shell - with discount yesterday, Shell was 6c litre cheaper than BP. I haven't seen evidence locally of Shell being the dearest.
I have heard however that the Fuel Watch scheme in WA has reduced
Perth to a fortnightly discount cycle - in
Melbourne (and I believe
Sydney) it's a weekly cycle. I have the luxury of *never* having to buy fuel on any night other than a Monday or Tuesday - if I want fuel for the weekend, jerrycans filled on a Tuesday fix that :)
I agree with one of the posters above - if you can afford it, buy shares in the buggers.
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Reply By: Member - Matt H (SA) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 21:02
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 21:02
Hi All,
I cant say I'm a fan of all things USA, but one thing I DO like about their consumer policies is this: no one company can have any more than about 10% of the market share in any industry - (and I stand corrected on the percentage).
If we had a similiar rule here in Oz, perhaps fuel and groceries would be damn sight cheaper!
Having spoke to American's on just this issue, they are incredulous that we (Australians), allow just TWO companies to control approximately 75% of our
supermarket game!
Cheers, Matt
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Follow Up By: Gone Bush (WA) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 21:38
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 21:38
Matt,
I am a bit of a Yankiephile, but I am a real critic of their Wal-Mart enterprise.
I dare say that it has far more than any percentage of the market you care to mention.
When Roger Corbett was runing Woolworths here in Oz his hero was Sam Walton and Wal-Mart.
God forbid that either of our big 2 get Wal-Mart's power and influence in this country.
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Follow Up By: Member - Matt H (SA) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 22:04
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 22:04
Ah Gone Bush,
Flushed you out did I? :-)
As I said, I stand corrected on percentages!
I agree mate, but I'm starting to think the "Big Two" are already doing what Wal-Mart have done.
My Father in law has been managing supermarkets since the '70's and runs one here in
Adelaide that isn't either of those two.
He acknowledges he is fighting a losing battle (slowly). Most of his customers are people that have "thumbed their noses" at the "Big Two" and
shop where they do on principal.
And good on them! The problem lays with the government (yet again) who are too spineless to regulate against a duopoly!
Someone, please tell me why Aldi cannot open a store in SA???
Mmmm, let me think - it's because those two companies develop most of the new/renovated shopping malls in Oz, and effectively drive out all competition - healthy or otherwise!
Take your blinkers off people - without at least SOME competition, your shopping bill is heading UPWARDS - not downwards!
Cheers, Matt
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Reply By: Member - Christopher P (NSW) - Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 21:24
Monday, Aug 04, 2008 at 21:24
Hi all, with fruit and vegies usually you get better quality from your local green grocer, and average quality at woolies, if they haven't being in a fridge or freezer for 18 months or imported.
Teena and i get the best fresh meat from our local butcher mate, and
shop around for fresh fruit and vegies. sometimes woolies sometimes local grocer. With the chain stores it is always better to buy green for friut to last longer where as the local grocer is usually pretty good due to competition!!!
so buy where you get the best value for dollar and the best quality your dollars can buy!!!
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Follow Up By: turbopete - Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 10:40
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 10:40
Aldi is my 1st stop and is the cheapest.the 4c/ discount on fuel is gained on a couple of items at Aldi,and what Aldi dont have I get at coles or s/way so gain the fuel discount there if i spend the $30 ,which i usually dont
My other gripe is Flybys which I dont want or need yet I am forced to pay for them,,Why,,I was told that flybys cost 2% of the grocery bill,is that true.
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Reply By: Richard & Leonie - Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 14:36
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 14:36
We live in a country town and do not get any advantage (if there is any) of using shopper dockets. Our local garages can be 10c to 25c more expensive than large towns and cities.My wife and I are Seniors and have Seniors Cards which give us public transport all day travelling for $2.50 except we do not have public transport. Quit whinging about fuel prices. If you look at fuel prices today and fuel prices 30 years ago compared to incomes you are betters of. When I was earning $100 a week petrol was 25c a lt. Now you earn on average $1000 a week fuel should be, on the basis of what I was paying 35Yrs ago, $2.50 a lt.
If you want to save money on fuel I found the best deal is with Citi Bank. 5% on all BP purchases. This means as fuel prices go up so does your discount. After just spending $5000 on fuel on a 3 month trip this was more than we would have saved with Coles or Woolies. Unfortunately there appears to be few BP outlets in NSW. We found on our trip there appeared to be plenty of BP stations up north.
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Follow Up By: Brew69(SA) - Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 18:07
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 at 18:07
35 years ago ULP was 10c a litre. SO i think the calculation should be $1 in todays market.
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